Review: ‘Perkins’ 14’

The Internet may be ushering in a new era, but "Perkins' 14" shows it's no way to incubate a movie. Described by its promotional materials as "the first feature film developed entirely via the Internet" -- through production company Massify's website -- the pic is another cheapie zombie item that lacks a consistent stylistic touch or sustained ability to scare.

The Internet may be ushering in a new era, but “Perkins’ 14″ shows it’s no way to incubate a movie. Described by its promotional materials as “the first feature film developed entirely via the Internet” — through production company Massify’s website — the pic is another cheapie zombie item that lacks a consistent stylistic touch or sustained ability to scare. As one of eight features in After Dark Films’ Horrorfest roadshow, it will enjoy a built-in crowd before vid feasting.

Having lost his son Kyle in a 10-year-old kidnapping case, Dwayne (Patrick O’Kane), a cop in the burg of Stone Cove, senses that Perkins (Richard Brake), a man who happens to be in his slammer, is the kidnapper. Evidence mounts, indicating that Perkins has been imprisoning 14 victims including Kyle in underground cells, somehow turning them into a cross between feral creatures and zombies. The premise and outcome are laughable enough that director Craig Singer’s rigid grimness makes it that much more ridiculous. When the 14 are accidentally released, they munch on Stone Cove’s citizens, climaxing in a lamentable re-do of “Assault on Precinct 13.”